In one alarming case, a "25-year-old male developed a full-blown psychotic episode … after discontinuing an Internet game that he had been playing for at least eight hours a day for two years," according to a 2014 report in Psychiatry Investigation.

Diagnosing Internet Addiction

A variety of questionnaires have tried to scientifically diagnose IAD. Currently, no single scoring system has been supported by research.

But some of the questions that may point to IAD include:

Are you preoccupied with using the Internet?

Are you unable to resist your desire to use the Internet?

Do you have to use the Internet for certain amounts of time in order to feel satisfied?

When you cannot use the Internet, do you find yourself in a bad mood, anxious, irritable, or bored?

When you are in a bad mood or irritable, do you turn to the Internet to solve your problems?

Do you stay online for longer periods of time than you mean to?

Do you try to decrease your online time over and over again, only to fail?

Do you have any physical symptoms from being online so much (backache, eyestrain)? Do you continue to use the Internet despite these symptoms?

Do you have any problems with your school or job performance due to your Internet use? Do you continue to use the Internet despite these problems?

Do you have any problems with relationships with family or friends due to your Internet use? Do you continue to use the Internet despite these problems?

Does your Internet use ever violate known laws?

Internet Addiction Treatment

In some cases, IAD develops as an escape from other problems, like anxiety and depression.

Medications to treat these disorders, such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs, may help treat IAD.